The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird is a creative work of fiction in the form of a satirical beast fable. Written by Giuseppe Scarpine, this fable follows the incredibly tragic life of Dog, who desperately wanted to be free to experience life. The story opens seen through the lens of Dog, who is the runt of her litter. She is instinctively aware of her relationships with her mother and siblings and the dynamics that come with that knowledge. She is purchased by her owner and taken home. As time progresses, we see the deterioration of not just Dog’s environment but also her physical well-being.

Dog’s unrelenting hope literally kept me as a reader not only intrigued by the idea of her being able to forgive, in a sense, her owner’s neglect but that being the driving force of her living another day. She clings to the idea that her owner will one day express the temporary kindness she once showed Dog in the past. Dog is extremely lonely, but she is not without friends. She has befriended three different birds with varying personalities and perspectives on the world outside of Dog’s desolate backyard. They frequently visit her to clue her in on society’s workings and how humans choose to treat canines as well as the world they live in.

The author does an interesting job of including lots of societal aspects in this story. It includes animal rights in quite an abundance and hits emotionally on every page. As the reader, I couldn’t help but want to reach into the story and just bear hug Dog and steal her away from that backyard, mostly due to the author’s incredible visceral writing skills. Other topics such as history, racism, faith, and friendship also play integral roles in the telling of Dog’s story through her lens. I found Dog’s perspective to be so in line with how I would imagine a canine’s mind would work. The dialogue just worked for me, and the writing made the story easy to follow and made this chapter book a fast read. Definitely a fascinating read.

The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird is a fascinating fable surrounding the life of Dog. Touching on many sensitive topics, this novelette will leave readers with much to think about and look at in their own lives. As fables do, this story will also teach a lesson that readers can hold onto long after they have finished this thought-provoking tale.

Pages: 40 | ISBN: 979-8-218-05650-6